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Cyclists who are injured by third parties while out riding have a high success rate in suing for compensation, even if the culprit can't be found, says an accredited personal injury law specialist. Dimitri Valis, principal at Law Partners, says that while a number of high-profile criminal law cases – such as the Queensland truck driver who escaped charges in 2013 after hitting and killing cyclist Richard Pollett – may have left cyclists with the impression that suing a driver is a lost cause, when it comes to civil law, the cyclist has a much higher chance of successfully suing. “We find that the cyclist is successful because in our line of work, we're suing the driver for negligence,” Valis says.

We've all been there: the very first self-supported bicycle tour – the one where you have no experience to guide you and everything to learn. With every dose of pre-ride excitement comes an equal measure of nervousness, administered by a society fearful of travelling by bicycle, scared of interacting with strangers and uncomfortable in the natural environment. For many, the very act of riding into the unknown for the first time is unnerving enough. But imagine now that most days the only source of food for you and your partner will be what nature provides for free, foraging in parks and along roadsides for edible plants and fruits, fishing in rivers, lakes and oceans, or even skinning the odd fresh road kill. Your biggest fear, however, will be ensuring the safety and survival of your baby, always close, and lively pre-teen son. Oh, and then there's the dog, too.

Cycling is one of the best activities around: it's low impact, fun and gets us from A to B while keeping us fit and prolonging our lives. But even this wonderful low-impact exercise can cause unwanted wear and tear on our bodies, especially if you've just put in a big day in the saddle. Working in a bike shop, I've come to see just how common cycling pains and injuries are; especially pain in the neck, lower back and sit bones. But there are ways to prevent injuries. Here's some advice on how to keep your body at its best from Paul Visentini, a cyclist and specialist sports physiotherapist at PhysioSports in Brighton, Melbourne, and a bike fit specialist with the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

It's been the go-to resource for global bike travellers for almost a decade, and with good reason. From Siberia to Tibet, Morocco to Myanmar, the newly revised Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook covers it all, including answers to every question about touring bicycles you could possible have. The Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook (ACTH) is so detailed you may be forgiven for thinking the authors have telepathy. And they do, in a very non-mystical sense. That's because at one point in time, they too asked themselves the same questions – before they set out cycling to the far flung reaches of the planet and writing down everything they learned in the process.

Cycling may be a great form of low-impact exercise, but it can still cause stress on the body and lead to annoying pain. That sucks. Cycling shouldn't be a pain in the butt. But the good news is much of this pain can be prevented. To find out more, I had a chat with someone who knows a lot about pain: Paul Visentini, who is not only a cyclist and specialist sports physiotherapist at PhysioSports in Brighton, Melbourne, but also one of the Australian Physiotherapy Association's most highly regarded bike fit specialists. As you could imagine, he's treated a lot of injured cyclists over the years, so I tapped his brain about the most common non-traumatic injuries that affect cyclists, what causes them and how they can be prevented.

Many of you would have followed us on our 11,500km ride for the Australian Bicycle Route Project where we set out to test ride two awesome long-distance routes we've been working on and then release the routes for everyone else to follow. The flagship route – The GDR – follows the entire length of the Great Dividing Range from the tip of Cape York down to Adelaide, while the Red Centre Route, runs from Adelaide up through – you guessed it, the Red Centre of Australia – to Darwin. Now it's time to share the maps and it's here we've decided to do something a little different, something a little, well... modern. Actually, it's something that has never been done before, at least, not for the bicycle touring community.

It’s taken years to get here. You’ve trained, planned and packed for the ultimate cycling trip, and you’re raring to go. It may be the cycling tour you’ve been training towards, or perhaps you’re simply two-wheeling your way through a dream destination. With all that planning you’d be forgiven if cycling travel insurance is the furthest thing from your mind. However, without it your trip could skid wildly out of control. Cycling travel insurance will stop a nasty injury blowing your travel budget way off course, but it’s important to get to grips with your policy before you hit the road. Do you know if your policy covers you on a cycling tour, or for your bike itself? While the fine print between insurers differs slightly, here's a general overview of what is and isn't covered on a bike trip.

The number of cyclists around the globe has been increasing rapidly over the years and now that more people are biking to their desired destinations, architects are increasingly designing facilities to accommodate cyclists. Many airports are now restructuring onsite and off-site parking to designate specific areas for bicycles so that travellers have the option to cycle to the airport if they wish, and some have even installed workstations for riders to build or box their bikes for travel. Airports in different cities have made various distinctions on what makes their facilities bike-friendly. Here are five airports around the world that are making an effort to look after those who travel by bicycle.

An Australian husband and wife team are preparing to smash the world record for the longest electric bike journey when they take to Europe's bike lanes this year. Rachel and Gary Corbett, who have taken on the moniker the E-bike Cycle Tourists, will roll out of London in late April and criss-cross their way across Europe for up to 12 months using e-bikes. “Given our age on the wrong side of our mid-50s, we hope the record attempt will clearly demonstrate that riding an electric bicycle – even on a long distance world record ride – is not only feasible for two ageing Baby Boomers, but for anyone of any age and fitness level,” said Gary, author of The Cycle Tourist guide for beginners. While they don't have a finite target, Rachel and Gary expect to ride significantly further than the current world record of 16,047 kilometres (9971 miles) set by German Maximilian Semsch who rode around Australia in 2012.

I'm sure there are some people out there who do actually find valuables with a metal detector, but watching that man got me thinking of ways to earn a few bucks while staying on the move. Personally, I always have a few freelance writing gigs up my sleeve while travelling and this has really helped me fund my time on the road. As many bicycle tourers like the flexibility of staying on the move and not having to worry about work visas, these are a few of the most common ways to earn a buck without getting a proper 'job.

Cycle Traveller is the online bicycle touring blog for routes, maps, resources and news about cycling around Australia. Be inspired, connect with other cyclists and plan your adventure! Founded in 2012, the Cycle Traveller community is continually growing. If you have a story to tell, information to share or a question to ask, please contact us. You can share information via our forum, or send us an email. Happy riding!